Morning Pens Buzz: On Breakdowns vs Sens; Turnaround starts with committment to defense; Scouts take on Pens “finesse” role players
Morning Pens Buzz It was a meltdown for the Penguins Tuesday night, falling to the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on home ice, dropping their 5th straight game. The team was lifeless when it counted and by the time they showed some life after Evgeni Malkin’s second period goal, it was to late. The Penguins have scored six goals in their last five games and anyone can see that number and realize you’re not going to win hockey games with those type of numbers. The high percentage shots are still missing and they were again vs Ottawa. Injuries can be attributed to the Penguins struggles offensively but this is still a team that has Evgeni Malkin and four former 20-goal scorers aside from
Lovejoy joins Penguins in Minnesota
Defenseman Ben Lovejoy has joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in Minnesota today. Lovejoy arrived at the facility this afternoon but the recall won’t be official until close to 4:00 p.m. Lovejoy did not participate in the morning skate, due to the recall not being official when the Penguins skated at 11:30 a.m. central time. Lovejoy being called up over Deryk Engelland is an indication that Lovejoy did not get called up just to sit in the press box. The Penguins have not been pleased with the play of Martin Skoula who was benched Thursday night against Philadelphia. Lovejoy will be in the lineup at somepoint during this road trip. Lovejoy, 25, has appeared in eight games with Pittsburgh, collecting three assists
NHL: Islanders looking at Penguins defenseman
Isles, Penguins talking?
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Sidney Crosby’s dominance against the Montreal Canadiens continued Wednesday night. Crosby scored a goal and set up another with an highlight reel no-look pass, setting up a Sergei Gonchar goal as the Penguins defeated Montreal 3-1 at Mellon Arena in what will be the final regular season game that the Canadiens will play at Mellon Arena. Despite being hit with a number of injuries in the first two months of the season, Pittsburgh matched a franchise record for 17 victories in their first 25 games. The Canadiens have brought out the best in Crosby as the star center has four goals and an assist in two games against Montreal this season. Crosby has nine points in his last seven games
NHL: Phoenix – Pittsburgh Trade Winds
A league source tells me Phoenix Coyotes pro scout Peter MacKinnon is scheduled to scout the Penguins again this week, sparking speculation that the Coyotes are looking at a defenseman or two in the Penguins system. The Coyotes are believed to have inquired defenseman Ben Lovejoy. Pittsburgh in turn has asked about the availability of winger
Ben Lovejoy will be the latest “AHL” player to join the Penguins
Defenseman Brooks Orpik was evaluated by team doctors on Wednesday and sources tell me Orpik is being regarded as day-to-day for now and is doubtful to play against the New Jersey Devils. The extent of his injury is not clear to this point. More evaluations are expected to be conducted. Defenseman Ben Lovejoy will join the Penguins in the morning and participate in the teams morning skate. The New Jersey Devils come to town as the Devils are seeking their 9th road win of the season. With limited cap space, forward Chris Conner is expected to be re-assigned by the weekend. Evgeni Malkin is expected to return Saturday night. Malkin has been cleared for contact by team doctors. He is
Penguins targeting Stars forward?
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Lovejoy to be sidelined for atleast 2-3 weeks?
Latest on defenseman Ben Lovejoy
Post-Game Buzz: Lovejoy expected to begin the season in Wilkes Barre
Pre-season Game 2: Toronto 4 – Pittsburgh 3 Pittsburgh _ The Penguins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, getting first period goals from Matt Cooke and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins controlled the play for the first twenty minutes of the game but a 5 minute major penalty by Craig Adams in the second period turned the momentum to the Leafs who went on to score 4 second period goals. Brooks Orpik added a third period goal for the Penguins. The Leafs ended up scoring four goals on just 17 shots against the Penguins. Brent Johnson started the game and was replaced by Marc Andre Fleury in the second period after giving up three goals. * A disappointment on the
Pre-season Game 2: What to watch for
Toronto @ Pittsburgh 1. Luca Caputi – Dan Bylsma deserves a lot of praise for the way he has used top prospects Luca Caputi and Eric Tangradi. Tangradi skated with Sidney Crosby in the Penguins pre-season opener and tonight Caputi will skate on a line with Evgeni Malkin. It’s a little move that will only help Caputi’s development. Playing Caputi on the 3rd or 4th line does nothing for him. Caputi’s game is driving to the net and that is where he is going to score a lot of his goals. Caputi is also excellent on the fore-check. What he needs to show tonight is the ability to make a play for himself and how he reacts when pressured by